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Hannah, a stray pit bull, wandered in the Waukesha area for over a year without a home. After receiving a call about the stray, the Animal Rescue Team at the Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha County went out to find Hannah and eventually brought her safely into the shelter. HAWS provided much-needed medical care and rest, and after a few months, Hannah was adopted by a local family, the Van Beeks.
“She turned into an incredible breed ambassador for pit bulls” says Maggie Tate-Techtmann, the director of organizational development at HAWS.
Hannah became a certified therapy dog, and the Van Beek family brought her to Read for Rover programs, where children learned literacy skills by reading to her. When Hannah died in 2019, her family dedicated a donation in her memory to HAWS. The money was used to fund Hannah’s Haven, a new literacy program for young children at HAWS’ newly built Schallock Center for Animals in Delafield.
“Hannah made such an impact on so many kids and adults,” Tate-Techtmann says. “Hannah’s Haven is a wonderful program – it’s great for kids to work on their reading skills, and great socialization and engagement for our shelter dogs.”
Tate-Techtmann first became involved in HAWS as a pet owner herself. She brought her dog to the shelter to participate in some behavioral programs.
“I fell in love with the organization and its mission,” she says, and in 2018, she joined the staff.
At the time they were preparing to build the Schallock Center, which opened in March of this year. The center was made possible by Mike and Jane Schallock, who donated their 77-acre farm to HAWS. Tate-Techtmann says the new center has greatly broadened HAWS’ humane education programs, allowing for camps, field trips and classes at the expansive facility. The open-admission, no-kill shelter continues to support thousands of pets like Hannah each year.
“We are working very hard to fulfill and honor Mike and Jane Schallock’s vision for the property,” Tate-Techtmann says. “Like Mike would always say to us – it’s all about the animals.”
What We Do:
- The Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha County supports more than 10,000 animals in the Waukesha area every year by providing shelter and adoption.
- HAWS offers educational programs to teach children about animal welfare, as well as behavioral training programs for pets.
Where Your Money Goes:
- Donations to HAWS support medical and behavioral care and sheltering costs for the animals, and emergency pet boarding for families in crisis.
- You can direct donations specifically to HAWS’ educational funds to support the humane education programs for children.
DETAILS:
701 Northview Rd.,
Waukesha
262-542-8851
hawspets.org
